Welcome . . . to another Friday in the Sanctuary.

May you find a few moments of peace and respite here today. Life is tough. We all need to protect our peace.

C’mon in.
Take a break.

First, let me explain where I am . . . right now.

I started this week . . . full of energy and motivation.

But, as so often happens These Days, I got sidetracked along the way . . . by my emotions, just coping with the daily outrages and overwhelming sadness. So. Well. I’ll admit it . . . I wallowed a whole lot more than I intended to. And I didn’t end up being quite as productive as I’d hoped to have been.

This week, I’ve been desperate for respite. And also magic. So I went looking, and I found some . . . here and there.

So marvel, with me, in the magic of . . .

artful filmmaking. I just love this particular clip from the movie Notting Hill, which features Hugh Grant (at his most charming) just wandering through a year in his character’s life. The filmmakers could have simply employed a tag that said “One Year Later” to forward the narrative . . .  but, instead, they came up with this artful, clever way to show us the passage of time — and with a perfect soundtrack, too. For me, this is the quintessential best-rom-com scene of all time. Magical!

Marvel at the magic . . .

of baking in real time. I ended up watching this clip of baked goods coming to life in the oven . . . well. . . more times than I care to admit. I was mesmerized! Captivated! It’s magical – and mouth-watering. And made me want to whip up a batch of croissants. (Which would be a fine distraction . . . )

Marvel at the magic . . .

of stop-motion animation from Polish artist Andrzej Łukomski. Each perfectly exectured second of this clip . . . takes the artist hours to create.

Marvel at the magic . . .

of poetry. I read poetry every day, no matter my mood. But I tend to read more of it when my mood is . . . hungry for hope, seeking something better for us all. So marvel at the magic of Emma Thompson reading Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem Kindness. (I believe this was originally filmed during the pandemic, but the poem – and Emma’s poignant reading – is very apt today.)

And, finally, marvel at the magic . . .

of a good distraction. I know many of you are already fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club mystery book series . . . so I know you’ll be interested in watching the movie version, which premiered on Netflix earlier this week. (I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to watch this weekend.) It looks to be a great cast and a perfect setting. If you’re looking for a good distraction, you might want to check this one out!

And that’ll do it for this week, my friends

We’ve got a long weekend — the last weekend of summer. I hope it’s lovely, wherever you are.
ENJOY!
Kick back a little.
And . . . look for magic.
(It’s all around us.)

Protect your peace.

I hope you’ve found some . . . Sanctuary. . . here today.
At least for a few minutes.